One of the bird kingdom's most glorious-looking creatures has gone rogue in the Darwin suburbs.

Key points:

The Darwin Wildlife Sanctuary has been involved in an increasing number of peacock-related incidents

The sanctuary's Ally Szyc says the birds have dished out beatings on chickens and native species, and killed chicks

She says most come from backyard collections and were encroaching on neighbouring properties

Strutting around with its giant fan and magnificent feathers, the peacock often comes across more as a walking art installation than a cold-blooded bully.

But they've proved themselves to be more than just a decoration, with the wild animals reportedly causing major headaches in the NT capital's rural area and northern suburbs due to their predatory habits.

Darwin Wildlife Sanctuary chief executive Ally Szyc told ABC Local Radio that the local peacock population had been menacing native wildlife and — even more disturbingly — murdering pet chickens.

"Most feral animals that come into contact with our wildlife can be contained somehow, either by fences or keeping them indoors," Ms Szyc said.

"These guys can fly pretty high, and pretty far, so they're not just being contained to their own properties — they are getting in, and they can cause havoc with other people who have chooks, domestic birds."

Ms Szyc said the "quite carnivorous birds" were becoming notorious for killing and eating rural chicks.

"They eat a lot of lizards, a lot of frogs, baby birds, they'll break open eggs as well," she said.

"They can eat baby chickens, for sure the chicks. Then they'll probably beat up the adults.